


Pitcher's Mound

by dimsumJon



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Baseball, F/F, HeejinxChuu, Romance, Sports, heechuu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22616983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimsumJon/pseuds/dimsumJon
Summary: Heejin and Jiwoo were complete opposites, like fire and water. They were always at each other’s throats, constantly competing to be the ace pitcher for their university baseball team. But baseball wasn’t the only thing they rivaled in.
Relationships: Jeon Heejin/Kim Jiwoo | Chuu, Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip, Park Chaewon | Go Won/Son Hyejoo | Olivia Hye
Comments: 22
Kudos: 136





	1. Prologue

“Guys, what are your thoughts on Jiwoo? I would kill to go on a date with her. She is so cute and adorable, basically perfect girlfriend material.”

Heejin scoffs.

_Oh, speak of the devil._

Jiwoo walked up to Heejin with a blank face and monotone voice, a contrast to her usual beaming smile and bright tone. "Get up, Jeon. We have practice."

“You don’t have to tell me twice, Kim,” the shorter girl grumbled.

“Just needed to make sure you weren’t going to slack off, you have a lot of catching up to do if you want my spot.” The redhead smirked.

Heejin could only glare at the taller girl.

~ ~ ~


	2. First Base

"Dude, she is so hot." Jimin pointed out a brunette that walked by.

Yoongi agreed. "Absolutely, damn wish I could date her."

Heejin laughed at her friends. "Bro, I would have a better chance than you."

"You don't even know if she is gay."

Heejin countered, "Straight girls are like noodles, they are straight until you get them wet."

Everyone in the group laughs and hoots fist-bumping and high-fiving Heejin. Yoongi opened his mouth only to shut it, having no witty comeback to respond with.

Heejin has always been one of the "guys." It was mainly because of her brother Jungkook. It all began when they were both in elementary school. Heejin was attached to her older brother and tailed him wherever he went, and young Jungkook gave little Heejin a lot of affection until he became "too cool" to hang with his little sister, like all young boys at the age of ten. Despite the change in her brother, young Heejin remained by her brother's side, even when he and his friends went a bit overboard with their teasing. 

The young girl was stubborn and determined to fit in and joined them whenever they played baseball. Jungkook complained to their parents that she was too clinging, but at some point, he accepted his sister and would always invite his younger sibling to join him. It became the norm; if Jungkook were there, Heejin would be present as well. Even with the gender difference and being a couple of years younger, she eventually found her place in her brother's group. 

As the years went by, Jungkook thought he would have to worry about his little sister dating his friends. But Heejin made it very clear she was into girls when she was only fourteen...Maybe she did hang out with his friends too much. The fact that Heejin stuck with his friends even when they talked about girls possibly influenced her attraction to the same sex. She also joined their "boy" talk about girls. Who were hot, who would they date, who they wanted to kiss, the typical boy topics. The guys were comfortable with Heejin because they all knew she was only interested in girls. At this point, she was a bro, but they kept their desires reasonably clean, and they weren't too vulgar around her.

Jungkook vividly remembers when he and his friends stumbled upon his sister kissing another girl, then shamelessly introducing her flustered girlfriend as if they weren't smooching moments before. Everyone was surprised and even more baffled that she was the first to get a girlfriend out of the group. Come to think of it, Heejin probably dated more girls than all of them combined during high school.

Heejin was passionate, hardworking, and a perfectionist in whatever piqued her interest. That interest was baseball, and it was something special to her. The sport contained many precious memories with her brother when he used to teach her how to play. Like the time when he helped her how to properly watch the ball and swing the bat, the joy of hitting her first home run was unforgettable. Or the times he would show her the different kinds of hand positions for the various types of pitches and then spending countless hours sharpening her skills. Or how he would have to cheer her up after having an off day. What she loved the most was the warm feeling she got when her brother proudly smiled and hugged her after winning games. 

Pitching was her favorite part about the game, maybe because of all the time she spent with Jungkook perfecting her technique. It became her specialty, and she loved the fact that pitching controlled almost the entire game, meaning if you were a beast at pitching, you could carry your team to victory. She fell in love with the sport and practiced more and more, and eventually, she was better than all the guys in her friend group and was good enough to play for college teams. 

The Jeons lived in a small town, and the nearby university didn't have enough space, money, or willing girls to make a separate softball team. Thankfully the school allowed a coed baseball team, but that didn't mean they would slacken the requirements to be part of the team. In Heejin's mind, it worked out perfectly. She preferred baseball's overhand style of pitching over softball's underhand pitch.

Even in college, the group somehow stayed together, and here she was slouching into the bleachers relaxing before baseball practice, checking out girls with her friends. She usually dressed similarly to a guy, currently clothed in her baseball slacks and oversized letterman jacket. 

The group spots a redhead leaving the locker room.

Taehyung was excited to see the cute girl he had a useless crush on. "Guys, what are your thoughts on Jiwoo? I would kill to go on a date with her. She is so cute and adorable, basically perfect girlfriend material."

Heejin grimaces at the sight of the girl, instantly recognizing who she is. "Yeah, she is TOO cute, not my type at all. Too girly for me and-" 

Taehyung interjected, "One day, I'll convince you Jiwoo is more than cute and that she is perfect." 

"You realize she is the most well-known lesbian in our school, right?" The girl's face screamed, 'are you blind?'

"Yah! One can always fantasize, don't ruin it for me!"

Heejin grimaces. "Please, keep your fantasies to yourself."

The boy had enough of Heejin's critiques, and he wanted to turn the tables and see if her taste in girls was any better. "Since you are criticizing my type of girl, who is your type, Heejin?"

A dusting of pink appears on Heejin's cheeks, the only time she acted like a girl was when she talked about her crush. Jungeun. Too bad Jiwoo was-

_Oh, speak of the devil._

The aforementioned girl strolled up to Heejin with a blank face and monotone voice, a stark contrast to her usual beaming smile and bright tone. "Get up, Jeon. We have practice."

"You don't have to tell me twice, Kim," the shorter girl grumbled.

"Just needed to make sure you weren't going to slack off, you have a lot of catching up to do if you want my spot." The redhead smirked as she left the group.

Heejin's instinct is to glare at Jiwoo, boring holes at the back of her head. Jiwoo is the ace pitcher of the team, #1 in their starting line up while Heejin was #2. Jiwoo was known for her fastballs. Hell, she even topped the university's fastest pitch records with her four-seam fastball. She also threw some mean cutters and splitters to throw batters in for a loop. Heejin couldn't pitch nearly as fast as Jiwoo, but she was infamous for her breaking ball pitches and producing crazy curveballs and screwballs, making them almost impossible to predict. Despite their rivalry, they make a deadly combo on the field.

The redhead was a year older, on her third year in college, joining the team earlier than Heejin, who is currently in her second year. That still didn't change how competitive Heejin was aiming for that position since day one. Even though they were teammates, the two were always at each other's throats. Jiwoo and Heejin were complete opposites, like oil and water, they never meshed well.

"Uhm, see you, Heejin."

"Goodluck with practice!"

All her friends knew about the two's rivalry, and they were glad the tense atmosphere quickly dissipated when the two left.

As usual, baseball practice was tough and exhausting. The coach worked them to the bone, working them the hardest since the season started for next week's rivalry match. It was predicted to be a close game, and the head coach wanted to make sure every member of the team was well prepared. 

Heejin and Jiwoo avoided each other like the plague, even in the locker room. Heejin would usually wait until Jiwoo finished changing before going in, but today she had plans to go out with her brother after practice, so she had no other option but to enter earlier than normal.

Jiwoo walked in, surprised to see Heejin. What was unexpected was seeing the shorter girl shirtless, only wearing her sports bra and leggings. Sure, Jiwoo didn't like Heejin, but that didn't mean she didn't find her attractive. The overhead fluorescent light caused the sweat on Heejin's skin to glisten and glow. Her dark hair was tied up in a high ponytail, exposing her collarbones. Jiwoo's eyes continued to shift downward, following a trail of sweat that slid down HeeJin's body. She nervously gulped to see defined and toned abs. Damn. Why did Heejin have to be so hot? Maybe Jiwoo should change with Heejin more. She was also a bit jealous, wishing she had a body like that, perhaps it was time to lay off the extra orders of noodles and rice cakes.

Heejin didn't take kindly to the presence that was ogling her body and chucked her sweaty practice shirt at the redhead's face. "Hey, stop staring, you pervert."

Jiwoo continued to curse herself that she got caught staring, cursed herself even more for the fact she was blushing over Heejin. She swiped the shirt off her face after recouping from her dazed self, "I-I was trying to enjoy the view. If only you kept your mouth shut, maybe even Jungeun would find you attractive."

Oh, there's also another critical point to mention about Jiwoo. Not only were the two rivals in baseball, but they were also rivals in love. Jiwoo and Heejin were both interested in the same girl, and that girl was Kim Jungeun, the school's star swimmer.

Swim and baseball practice ended at the same time, so it was common Jungeun would be accompanied by Heejin and Jiwoo as she walked back to her apartment. The two baseball players would always race up to Jungeun in an attempt to gain her attention, and this evening was no different. After they were done showering and changing, they both spotted the brunette walking the campus grounds, fascinated by whatever was on her phone.

As per usual, she looked absolutely breathtaking, especially at this time of the hour. The sun sank into the horizon, shooting a colorful display of dark magentas and deep blues across the sky. Golden rays shimmered onto Jungeun's still damp hair and painting her skin in a warm hue. She was ethereal. The two baseball players gazed in awe, hearts swooning over the swimmer. 

The two girls made their way over to their crush, shoving and pushing as they marched towards the blonde. The closer they got to the unexpecting girl, the more aggressive they became. Their speedwalk slowly turned into a frantic sprint. Their pushes turned into tripping the other. If either faceplanted, they sure as hell weren't going to go down alone. Any innocent bystander watching the two's chaotic antics could only think this was some sort of comedy skit.

Jungeun detected heavy steps coming towards her and jolted in surprise to find two panting girls in front of her. "Oh, hey Heejin and Jiwoo. What's up? Why are you guys so out of breath?"

"Huh? Oh, Uhm." Jiwoo was startled by the question like she didn't think that it was weird they were panting like overheated dogs. 

It was a good thing Heejin was quick to think of an excuse. "Practice, yeah, practice was really tiring today." Well, it wasn't a perfect excuse since their practice ended about half an hour ago, so there was no way they would have remained out of breath.

The brunette narrowed her eyes at the two suspiciously. "Ok, sure, whatever you say." Unconvinced by the answer she received. "Well, I need to go. I am actually late to meet up with a friend for dinner. I'll see you two around, though!"

The baseball players waved their arms in unison like they were best friends. As soon as Jungeun was out of sight, girls immediately shoved each other, as if they were magnets with the same polarity if one were within a certain vicinity, the other would repel away.

"Wow, great job, scaring her away with your dog ass breathing and incapability to speak any sort of human language." Heejin mocked the latter. "Uhhh, duh, oh, uhmmm."

Jiwoo fake laughed, "You're talking as if your lame ass excuse was any better. And you were panting just as hard as me."

The younger girl got up to the older's face. "Next time, maybe you should let your useless gay self step away, maybe you should go back to proposing to straight girls."

Jiwoo's face reddened, huffing with frustration. It was just one time she had a big crush on a straight girl, she didn't know, ok she did, but she refused the fact and was determined to broaden the girl's horizon. It didn't help; she asked her out in such a grand way in the middle of campus, going all-in wearing a tux and decorating a field in the form of a heart. Yes, it was cringingly cheesy, and Heejin made sure Jiwoo could never live it down.

"That's what I thought Kim, anyways, I have plans and an actual life to get back to. It was such a pleasure talking to you." Heejin said the last part with the most sarcastic tone she could muster and went on her way. 

~ ~ ~

Chaewon sprawled out on her bed, playing Animal Crossing while speaking to her girlfriend through her earbuds. It was her ideal way to end her day, playing her favorite game, and talking for hours with her girl. But that perfect evening did not include being rudely interrupted by a redhead bursting into the shared room.

"Gah, what's wrong with that girl?!" Chaewon didn't even look up from her game, knowing exactly why the frustrated girl was going off. 

"Hold on, Hyejoo. I'm gonna mute myself. My roommate is back." Chaewon giggles. "Yeah, she is going to start freaking out about her teammate again."

The small blonde takes a few seconds to change her mic settings and redirects her attention to her friend. "Heejin again?"

"Who else?!" Jiwoo pulls at her hair. "She is so- Aghhhhhh!"

"Words Jiwoo, use your words." Chaewon accepted this to be their nightly routine listening to her friend's daily outbursts over her teammate. It started about a year ago, and at first, it was exhausting to hear the same thing over and over, but now she found it amusing how the usual cheerful girl goes into a heated tantrum. Heejin must be the only being on the planet to turn the bright ball of energy, named Jiwoo, to morph into a red hot fuming explosion. She found it comical that Jiwoo would cuss only for Heejin to make herself sound tough and intimidating. If Jiwoo ever considered herself to be threatening, then Chaewon should probably consider herself being straight.

Jiwoo smacks her open palm with her fist repeatedly. "I just want to squish her stupid perfect face with her dumb cute moles."

Chaewon irked her eyebrow, now puzzled by the misdirected anger. "Are you sure maybe you just haven't been gay panicking this entire time?"

"NO! OH MY GOD, NO!" The taller girl scrunched her face in disgust. 

Another form of entertainment for the small blonde was to rile up her friend further, and she knew exactly what buttons to press. "Are you sure you aren't like a child that is mean to their crush because that's the only way you know how to show any form of affection?"

"What the hell, Chae?! You have literally witnessed me flirt with girls before. I know what I am doing!" Jiwoo couldn't believe what she was hearing, how did her blonde friend ever come up with that conclusion?

"Maybe because Heejin is special to you, and it's your form of gay panicking." Chaewon giggled, it was humorous that Jiwoo has never caught on to how much she teased her. 

"Ok, sure. I did gay panic a bit, just a tiny bit. I accept that she is unworldly attractive. It was my first time seeing her shirtless and her abs are to die for. I mean- How can you not stare at them?! Well, I only stared for a bit. Ok, I lied, I stared hard, like really hard-"

Despite the redhead speed talking her entire predicament, the blonde didn't miss a single word. She had to pause her game and set her Switch down. "Wait. What?! You saw her shirtless, and you were staring?!"

Jiwoo regretted how much information she leaked. Well, there was no use in crying over spilled milk now. "It was just one time Chae, just today, in the locker room."

Chaewon remained in disbelief by the shocking news, and she wasn't quite sure what to make with the newfound information.

"Did I ever do something wrong to her?" The taller girl questioned herself, going back to the original topic as she flopped onto her mattress. 

The redhead proceeded to starfish, spreading her limbs over the small dorm room bed. "Am I an unlikeable person Chae?"

The shorter girl unpaused her game, eyes back on the bright screen. "No one could possibly hate you, Jiwoo...Ok, maybe one person, but other than her, everyone loves you!"

The redhead's mind lingered on why that one specific girl despised her. "I just don't understand." Chaewon didn't even break her eyes from her screen to know Jiwoo was pouting.

Jiwoo was lost in her thoughts, unable to pinpoint the exact moment of why they hated each other with a passion.

~ ~ ~

It was the beginning of a new baseball season, and the new players that passed tryouts or were scouted by the school could finally join the rest of the team out on the field.

Jiwoo brightly smiled at one particular newcomer. She was starstruck to find the most gorgeous girl joining the team. Was this beautiful girl really a baseball player? Is she in the right place? Because she had the visuals to become an idol or an actress. This had to be some sort of prank, or maybe she was here to film a CF. 

Regardless, she set her doubts aside, and if she learned one thing this past year, it was that their coach was very serious. He only selected and scouted the best he could find, only adding people that had the potential to be great assets for the team. 

She stuck out her arm in excitement, eager to meet the freshman. "Hi! I'm Jiwoo, ace pitcher for the team! It's amazing to see another girl as a starting pitcher!"

"Yeah, we'll see how long you keep that spot. The name is Jeon Heejin. Better remember it." The shorter girl smirked, brushing past Jiwoo, making her way to greet the rest of the members.

Jiwoo was speechless at the immediate hostility. She thought as the only two girls in the team, they would bond and become best friends. Well, two can play at that game. From that moment on, she was determined to put that arrogant bitch in her place.

She turns her head to glare at Heejin, then noticing how the shorter girl instantly blended into the team full of boys. How could this be? In short, she was jealous. It took her entire first year to even speak more than a few words to her teammates, and just recently, she finally felt like she sort of belonged and fit in with her fellow teammates. Then along comes Heejin, just waltzing in as if she has known everyone for years. She was already making secret handshakes with the others. Hell, everyone was probably already closer to Heejin compared to herself.

Jiwoo swore to lesbian Jesus that she would shut down Heejin's cocky attitude down. She'll prove that there's only room for one ace pitcher in this team, and the pitcher mound was her throne.

~ ~ ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not much a sports person, so I apologize if I get certain aspects of the game wrong. The story will focus more on the two character's relationship over the baseball side. 


	3. Second Base

It was finally the long-awaited day. After pouring blood, sweat, and tears into practice after practice, it was all in preparation for this day. Both universities had heated athletic rivalries in almost every sport, and tonight, it was time to see which baseball team stood on top. 

The home team warmed up for their match, sprinting short sprint drills across the field, throwing and catching balls, and stretching out their muscles. Heejin’s throwing shoulder had a slight ache. Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest idea, spending extra hours every week practicing her pitches. She hated to admit that she was overworking herself because of a certain someone, and she knew better than anyone that the redhead’s skills were unmatched. In the back of the younger pitcher's mind, Jiwoo has always been the better player.

Heejin couldn’t stand the sight of Jiwoo. She hated the fact that Jiwoo has only been playing baseball for a few years while Heejin has been playing practically her entire life. The redhead was apparently a natural at the sport, the few years of playing resulted in her being better than Heejin. _How could life possibly be this unfair?_ If Heejin took one step closer to catch up to her rival, Jiwoo was somehow at least two steps ahead. Tonight wasn’t just a rivalry match between two teams, but also a test of skill for the two female pitchers.

Jiwoo took her place on the mound first to start the game off. She had a habit of flashing smiles and shooting occasional finger hearts before she pitches, causing batters’ concentration to falter a bit. Maybe that’s how she manages to strike out most of these boys that fluster over a simple gesture from the older pitcher. The redhead is the utter definition of the word cute. Trust me, just check your dictionary, and Kim Jiwoo would be the two words to describe: cute and adorable.

Heejin carefully observed every movement of the latter, analyzing her pitches, from the moment she started to wind up, to how she twisted her body as she lunged out, hurling the ball blindingly fast. Sure, she saw Jiwoo pitch almost every day, but her pitches during a real game were always more spectacular compared to her pitches during practice. The ace pitcher had no trouble striking out the first set of batters. 

Unlike Jiwoo’s cute pitching routine, Heejin’s approach was the opposite, giving off a death glare to the opposing batter. She has been living her life trying to prove she was just as good as boys, she has been ridiculed countless times for playing a male sport. There was no way she would expose any form of weakness. Jiwoo carefully watched Heejin as she pitched, she’s always admired how versatile Heejin was. Every pitch seemed to curve and contort differently from the previous. She knew she would hate having to bat against her unpredictable curveballs.

Just like any other team, most of the team’s roster knew how to pitch, but the two girls were leagues better and threw for most of the game. They were benched when it was time for them to bat to give them some rest. 

After hours of playing, the game continued with no determined victor. It was much closer than expected, their rival school has been undefeated this season just like them. Spectators in the stands edged their seats with anticipation, the score was tied up, and the game had to go into extra innings.

If nine regular innings weren’t exhausting enough already, extra innings was a test of endurance and perseverance. The drawn-out game caused concern for Heejin’s weakness, her stamina. Well, it was more like she didn’t pace herself efficiently, using up too much energy in the first half of the game. The coach was aware of Heejin’s flaw, and despite his warnings, Heejin still made the same mistake. She puts the fault on Jiwoo, Heejin felt the need to pitch just as fast and as hard as the redhead. How else was she going to best the other? 

The game was now in its ninth extra inning, the score still tied, both teams have been unable to make any more points. It became more apparent that Heejin’s pitches were weakening throughout the game. The ebony-haired girl was in the rotation to pitch next, but her throws were becoming more inconsistent, and she could no longer ignore the burning ache in her shoulder. 

“Jeon, I know you’re up next in the pitching rotation, but I think it would be best for you to rest now. I’ll put Kim-”

“No! I can do this coach.” Refusing to let Jiwoo pitch instead of her.

The coach looked at her with a bit of doubt, with a heavy sigh, reluctantly agreed. It was hard to turn down the girl’s determination. Maybe it had to do something with the fire that lit her eyes, and he just hoped he wouldn’t regret his decision. “Ok, Jeon, just make sure to follow the catcher’s calls then.”

Heejin started the inning off with mediocrity, and things didn’t get better as her condition was faltering with every throw. She barely managed to strike out the first batter. Luckily the second batter wasn’t able to take any bases as his ball was caught mid-air. Heejin’s shoulder was tiring out, and by the time she got to the third batter, her pitches were a bit off, allowing the batter to take second base. 

The fourth batter readied himself on home plate, pointing his bat towards the sky, signaling he was going to hit a home run. The girl chuckled at the motion, as if. She only had to strike out one more batter, and the teams could switch sides.

As Heejin readied herself, spotting Jiwoo in her peripherals, shaking her head in disapproval. Heejin scowled at her teammate and returned her gaze at the batter. She wanted to prove herself, prove she was better than Jiwoo. She ignored the signal her catcher was giving to pitch a changeup. Instead, Heejin changed her grip to throw a four-seam fastball, Jiwoo’s signature pitch. 

Her throwing shoulder was searing, but she ignored the pain. Heejin wound up for her pitch and flung the ball with all her might. A four-seam fastball is a straightforward pitch and solely relied on speed to strike out a batter. Unfortunately, the pitch was not fast enough, and the path was too predictable. To her dismay, a clear *clink* rang out through the stadium. The batter effortlessly made contact with the ball as he swung and sent it flying into the stands. 

“A HOME RUN!” The away crowd cheered, reflecting the same excitement the announcers blared over the speakers.

Every head from the home team hung to the floor. Now the rival team was ahead by two more points. 

The coach was pissed, ok pissed was understatement from the look of the veins that are about to burst by his temples because his pitcher blatantly ignored the strategic calls he specifically said to follow. He yells out in rampant, immediately calling Heejin off the mound so Jiwoo could replace her. 

“Better luck next time Jeon, hopefully, you didn’t cost us this game.” Heejin winced when Jiwoo’s shoulders collided with her injured side as they walked past. 

To taunt the latter, Jiwoo turned a blind eye to the catcher’s calls. Instead of the planned out pitches, she decided to use Heejin’s specialty pitches. Their coach is going to be furious that his players continued to ignore him, but it would be well worth the scolding and screaming once she shows Heejin up. Jiwoo was confident in her abilities and her condition was much better than the latter. The ace pitcher has never seen the younger pitcher throw so inconsistent before, she brushed the thought away. Jiwoo’s curveballs and screwballs were more predictable than Heejin’s, but they were much faster, striking out the last batter.

It was the home team’s last chance to somehow turn around the two-point lead of the away team. The batters made their last-ditch effort, but the players’ hopes and prayers were left unanswered, there was no miracle for them tonight, and the home team lost by one point.

As soon as the game ended, Heejin left the dugout without a word. She wanted nothing more than to evade the deflated, perhaps even spiteful, stares of her fellow team members. The coach shook his head, he knew that his pitcher was going to learn from her mistake after this night, and if any player was harder on themselves, it was Heejin.

Heejin hurled her glove at her locker, wincing from the pain in her shoulder. It was only after she attempted to take her shirt off she realized how awful the sharp burning sensation became. She was furious. She had cost the team the win, and Jiwoo had completely one-upped her. Her eyes glossed over, her tear ducts began to well up from her frustration. If only she hadn’t let Jiwoo get in her head. If only she weren’t so selfish and prideful, the game could have resulted differently. Or maybe she just simply wasn’t good enough, and Jiwoo should have pitched as the coach had initially planned. She tried her best to massage her shoulder as hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

The locker room door swung open, a beaming smile, and crescent eyes seem to light up the dim room. Even after a loss, the girl’s positive mood remained unaffected.

_Fuck._

The last person Heejin wanted to see appeared before her. She somehow forgot the possibility of Jiwoo walking, only wishing for complete solitude to sulk.

Before Jiwoo arrived, she was ready to mock and brag to her junior. Maybe even give her a good earful that the team lost because of her. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Heejin’s face, but her smile fell at the sight of the tear-stained girl, even her chest tightened a bit. If Heejin hadn’t turned away, she would have noticed Jiwoo’s facial expression soften with concern.

Who would want their rival to witness this side of them? It showed weakness and could leave anyone feeling vulnerable. Heejin has always been an emotional wreck when it came to her game performance. Only her brother has ever seen her like this, and he was always the one to lift her spirits. The shorter girl desperately tried to wipe away her tears as Jiwoo cautiously approached her.

The older pitcher wasn’t heartless. Sure, she hated Heejin, ok maybe just a strong dislike, but finding the younger girl in tears was heart-wrenching. As much as Jiwoo despised HeeJin’s usual cocky smirk, she has never wished to see it right now.

“What do you want, Kim? Are you here to rub it in my face...the fact that you are leagues better than me.” 

The sudden break of silence startled Jiwoo. “Je- Heejin, you did well out there, I mean at the start you were-”

“Don’t try to patronize me. I did fucking terrible. We lost because of me.” Letting her forehead fall into the metal lockers.

“You just need to pace yourself better at the start of the game.” It’s not like Heejin didn’t know that already, but she couldn’t tell Jiwoo that it was because of her that she was overthrowing and over exhausting herself.

“Heejin, you were just having an off day. I have never seen you pitch so inconsistent before. You’re a great pitcher-”

“Not as great as you.”

Jiwoo was speechless. All this time, the ace pitcher thought Heejin would never admit she was better than herself.

“You’ve only been playing for a few years, and you’re absolutely amazing. You are a born natural at this sport. And look at me, playing as soon as I could, putting in extra hours after practice just to try to catch up to your talent. And I know I should pace myself better, but I always put more effort when I see you pitch and only end up straining myself. I’m pathetic.” Heejin chuckled, mocking herself.

Jiwoo closes the gap between them, gently grasping HeeJin’s face. The older girl’s eyes were filled with sincerity, making Heejin avert her gaze. The redhead rubs her thumbs across the smooth cheeks, softly wiping the tears away. “Heejin, don’t ever say that about yourself. You are amazing, and the last thing anyone would ever think of you is pathetic.”

The redhead’s eyes warmly stared into the watery brown orbs before her. She does her best to brightly smile, finally turning Heejin’s frown to slowly curl up into a small smile. They both giggle, and Jiwoo was relieved to see the beautiful crescents Heejin’s eyes form whenever she laughs. 

But their moment abruptly ended, when Heejin broke away remembering that they are supposed to be enemies...Well, maybe they are frenemies now.

Jiwoo wanted to think that this moment turned over a new leaf of their relationship. Maybe after this, they could slowly improve their relationship.

Now that there was some distance between them, Jiwoo’s eyes went wide. She didn’t realize that Heejin was basically half-naked, and just a few moments ago, they were close enough to feel the other’s radiating body heat. The heat that crept up the back of her neck burned at the view, the view being Heejin’s abs. At this point, she swears this might be her new kink. _Ughhh not again! How the hell am I not supposed to stare at THAT when it’s on full display. What the hell are you doing to me, Heejin?!_

“Why is it that I always find you shirtless in here?”

Heejin narrowed her eyes in confusion. “It’s a locker room, you dumbass.”

Well, yes, obviously. Ok, to be fair, that was a dumb question, and Jiwoo didn’t realize she said it out loud. But why is this the second time entering the locker room to find shirtless Heejin as the first thing she sees? She couldn’t fathom telling Heejin that she looked so damn hot that the sight of her body turned her on, and she felt the need to shove her against the lockers and- _No! Nope! Nah!_ Jiwoo shook her head, banishing her dirty fantasies. Yes, maybe she’s had a few wet dreams since the first shirtless encounter- _Oh, god._ Maybe abs are a kink for her now and not just anyone’s abs.

~ ~ ~

Awhile after the game, Jungeun spotted the two female players. Jiwoo was close to Heejin’s side, beaming at her teammate. The swimmer swooned to see the redhead comforting her younger teammate. Judging by Heejin’s puffy eyes, she must have felt devastated after their loss tonight.

“Jiwoo! Heejin!” Jungeun called out, she continued to yell as the girls approached her. “You two were amazing tonight!” The two pitchers blush from the swimmer’s comment when they finally reached her, not noticing a figure behind Jungeun.

The unnoticed blonde beauty spoke up. “Yeah, you made our batters struggle. If you two went to our school, I think we would be undefeatable!” Her voice toned down the excitement and suddenly switched to concern when she looked towards Heejin. “Is your shoulder ok? You shouldn’t have played those extra innings with that injury, you know.”

Heejin tried her best to keep a poker face and play it off as nothing, but that didn’t pass Jiwoo.

The blonde continued, “Sorry, I’m a sports therapy major and noticed how uncomfortable you looked pitching, I’m surprised you threw the entire game. But you may want to take it easy for a while and even get that checked out.”

Jiwoo gasped. “You have a shoulder injury?!” 

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” The younger pitcher tried to sound as reassuring as possible.

The blonde demanded. “Lift your arm up.” Heejin hesitated, then forcefully raised her arm, but her broken straight face spilled it all. “That bad already, huh?”

The redhead was quick to her teammate’s side, already massaging the injured limb. “Come on. We need to put a cold compress on that.”

Heejin tried brushing Jiwoo off, “You don’t need to worry, it’s nothin-” But her sentence was cut short from the sharp ache that shot through her shoulder as she tried to take her arm back from the concerned girl.

“You can take my girlfriend’s word. She really knows her stuff!” Jungeun tried to convince Heejin.

“Wait? Who?!” Both baseball players interjected in shock. Jungeun could have sworn they snapped their heads so fast their necks should be broken.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Jinsoul.” Jungeun shyly smiled, gesturing to the blonde next to her. “I don’t usually go to baseball games, and this was my first one. Jinsoul is a fan of the sport and she goes to our rival college. So here she is dragging me along.”

How did they not know the girl they have been pursuing for a year already had a girlfriend? The two players were in shock, but nothing could have prepared them for the next statement.

Jungeun twirled her hair adorably, making herself appear unusually shy. “I was looking for you both because Jinsoul wants to go on a double date. She wants another couple to hang out with, and she hasn’t been on one before. And definitely not with a hetero couple, freaking gross.” Jungeun gagged at the thought. “But, we were hoping you two would want to join us.”

_Wait, did Heejin hear that, right?_

“I mean, it’s been a year since we’ve met, and I always see you together when you talk to me and put two and two together, well girl and girl together, because you two are dating. I figured, what could possibly be a better way to get to know you two better-”

The rest of Jungeun’s words fell over deaf ears. Heejin zoned out from what she had just heard. _WHAT? Jiwoo and I dating?! Excuse me? How much more false could that statement be?_ The idea of dating the redhead was so appalling to Heejin. She opened her mouth to start rebuking the brunette’s comment, but then she felt an arm loop into hers. Heejin snaps her head to see a smiling side profile of Jiwoo. Heejin couldn’t comprehend what was going on anymore. The only thing her mind could process was she needed water for her dry throat from how long her jaw stayed open from the disbelief in the words that have been spoken. 

Jiwoo continues to beam at her crush with heart eyes, tugging Heejin closer to her side. “Ah, you found us out! Though we have only started dating recently.”

Apparently, Heejin picked the wrong time to gulp her water bottle. As soon as she hastily tilts the bottle up for the refreshing liquid to quench her thirst, she chokes at Jiwoo’s announcement and also from water entering the wrong pipe, unable to refute the redhead’s words.

The redhead gently pats HeeJin’s back, and coos with a sickeningly sweet voice, “Oh Heekki, how many times have I told you not to drink so fast.” Heejin coughed harder at the nickname that appeared out of thin air. No one called her that, but no one around them knew as Jinsoul and Jungeun swooned at the cute pet name.

“To answer your question Jungeun, we would be more than happy to go on a double date with you and Jinsoul!” Jungeun tried to calm down her overly jittery girlfriend over the redhead’s declaration.

“Great! Let’s plan for next weekend then.” Jungeun and Jiwoo quickly exchange phone numbers. “I’ll text you the plans later! Jinsoul and I have a date to go to.” The couple waves the baseball players goodbye as they head off.

The older girl stands proudly and smirks to herself. “Guess who got her number before you.” Jiwoo gestured to herself. “Yeah, I got game.” She proceeded to give herself a bow.

“Yah! Are you stupid?!” Heejin recovered from her coughing fit and couldn’t be any more confused at the situation. “What the hell are you doing?! Now you just made us both unavailable to date her!”

“Well, she is already unavailable. But I plan to show her how amazing of a girlfriend I am, and it will open her eyes that I’m the one for her, and then she’ll leave that blonde bimbo.” Jiwoo nodded to herself. The strategy was flawless...everything was perfectly planned in the mind of the redhead.

“Do you hear how crazy you sound?!” This could be the most inconceivable plan that has ever been thought of. At this moment, Heejin could only consider Jiwoo had a screw loose in her head.

“You’re just scared that I can be a better girlfriend to Jungeun than you ever will be.” Jiwoo confidently stated.

Heejin scoffs, furrowing her brows. She didn’t know what it was about the redhead, but she always managed to surface her competitive side out. “Not if I show her how much of a better girlfriend I am first. “

“Well Jeon, you better be ready for our date then.” She swipes Heejin’s phone and puts her number in. 

“Oh, Kim. I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“We shall see about that. You better come up with a cute nickname for me, _Heekki_.” Jiwoo exaggerated the wave in her fingers as she left Heejin behind.

~ ~ ~

Chaewon sat comfortably in Hyejoo’s lap, proudly showing off her farm in Animal Crossing. They let out soft giggles, sharing sweet kisses on each other’s cheeks. As soon as they lean in to kiss, the door flies open. 

“Dammit, Jiwoo! Don’t you know how to knock?!” The blonde was annoyed by her roommate, who always seems to bust the door down like she was part of a SWAT team every time she came home.

“Chae, this is a shared room; this is my room as much as it is yours.”

The blonde didn’t have a comeback to that because the latter was right, but that only increased her frustration more. She couldn’t wait to move out of the dorms so that she could have her own bedroom for privacy.

Jiwoo proudly continued with her good news. “Anyways, I have a plan brilliant plan to win Jungeun over-”

“Really? You are going to use up my personal time with my girlfriend with one of your outbursts?” The small blonde just wanted to share her precious time with Hyejoo only. None of it should be wasted on the redhead’s crazy endeavors. 

“Oh, great! I can get another opinion on this!” The redhead finally noticed the raven-haired girl her roommate was comfortably on. “I’m Jiwoo, by the way!”

“Hyejoo,” the younger girl waved, not minding the intrusion as she has heard so much about Jiwoo from her girlfriend. It was only fitting that this would be their first meeting, as Jiwoo went straight to her ridiculous plans to gain affection from girls, or it could have been another tantrum about Heejin.

“So, I learned that Jungeun already has a girlfriend.” Chaewon wanted to interject, but Jiwoo resumed speaking. “And invited me to go on a double date.”

Now things were less sense to the small blonde. “Wait, who are you going on a double date with? And what, you are going to make Jungeun break up with her girlfriend?”

Jiwoo hesitated for a moment, “Uhm, Jungeun thought Heejin and I have been dating all this time, so she wanted to go on a double date with us-”

Chaewon, even Hyejoo, burst out in laughter as if it was the most ridiculous thing they have ever heard. How could Jiwoo, the girl that complains and rants about her younger teammate every single night to the point it drives Chaewon crazy, ever be with that same girl?

“And well, I agreed to it, and I will make Jungeun open her eyes, and I can prove to her how much better of a lover I am, by showing off my affection to Heejin.”

The blonde rubbed her temples in disbelief, while Hyejoo tried her best to hold her laughter in. “You have done a lot of dumb things to try to win girls over, and this has to be the worst idea yet.”

“Look, I know my plans aren’t always perfect, but this is foolproof!”

“You do realize the reason why you are the most well-known lesbian on campus is that you went all out for a straight girl, and look how brilliant your plan turned out.” Chaewon pondered. “Now that I think about it, you have had a lot of terrible plans to win girls over. Like that time when you filled a girl’s bag with strawberries to get her attention, only to find out she was deathly allergic to them, and she had to be sent to the ER. Or that time you proposed to that bob-cut senior with doves, but you made her cry and scream in terror because she has a terrible phobia of birds. And also that ti-”

“Please, STOP!” The redhead’s face glowed brighter than her hair, flustered hearing all her failed attempts, not to mention Hyejoo heard every word, and Jiwoo was sure Chaewon would tell her girlfriend even more stories later. 

A phone chimed, breaking their conversation. Jiwoo looked at her screen at the new number that texted her.

_Yo, carrot head, this is Heejin._

“Oh, hold on Chae, I need to answer this text.”

“Who is it?”

“Heejin.” Causing the blonde to irk an eyebrow at her eager roommate.

Jiwoo was wholly absorbed in texting Heejin for the rest of the night, continually spitting insults and threats at each other. Chaewon didn’t see her roommate put her phone down once that night until she fell asleep.

~ ~ ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBH I am not sure how extra innings work in baseball. I tried to understand it, but yeah, sorry if I got that part wrong. 


	4. Third Base

Jiwoo impatiently tapped her foot against the pavement, checking her phone every five seconds. It's already been 15 minutes past their meeting time, and Heejin was nowhere to be seen. The redhead had previously called the latter multiple times with no luck. 

Looking over her left shoulder, Jiwoo nervously smiled at the other couple, Jungeun and Jinsoul, who were also waiting on Heejin so all four could go on their planned double date. "I-I'm sure Heekki will come up at any moment." The couple reassuringly nodded in response.

_She better be here. Where the hell is she?!_ Sure, Jiwoo has been embarrassed by doing dumb things in front of her past crushes. But being stood up in front of Jungeun by her pretend girlfriend, Heejin, would probably top the charts in most embarrassing moments.

Suddenly, a vivid pink rose popped in front of Jiwoo. "A rose for my dearest Chuu," Heejin's eye slightly twitched, doing her best to keep her composure while a beaming smile to complete her facade. "I'm sorry for being late, Chuu baby, I saw this rose and had to buy it for you."

With pink dusted cheeks, Jiwoo cheerfully accepted the simple gesture. She has never received a pet name in her previous relationships, and the redhead was happy to have one finally. Too bad, the most adorable nickname she has ever heard was given to her by a _fake_ lover.

"Oh my, you didn't have too!" The redhead squealed. 

"I know, but we've been dating for a couple of months now and just thought you would like it." Heejin bought a pink rose for Jiwoo to celebrate their '2-month' anniversary, at least that was the excuse she said to impress Jungeun and looked over at the reaction of the brunette, surely it worked.

Jiwoo allowed Heejin to close the distance between them. Her heart raced to realize how close they were, and if it were possible, her beating heart sped up even faster from Heejin's soft and gentle touch. The younger girl tucked the trimmed flower in between Chuu's headband by her ear, neatly displaying the flower to emphasize Jiwoo's beauty. 

Heejin found the situation odd. They were usually always at each other's throats, still avoiding the other. But she could get used to this, even though everything was an act, she wouldn't mind if it were real...then her mind had to cut her thought process short. _What are you thinking, Heejin?! Jungeun is the one you want, not Jiwoo._

They both nervously smiled, unsure of what to do next to keep up their fake interactions, leaving an awkward atmosphere between the two. 

Jungeun and Jinsoul observed the couple, and they were expecting to see them kiss, or even a loving embrace, but they were a bit disappointed that nothing happened. It was a shame the perfect moment was left unfulfilled. Maybe it was because they were shy to show PDA out in public?

"Ok, now that we are all here, let's pick up our tickets for the movie." Jungeun led the group to a movie theater close to campus.

Once the group made their way to the theater, Jiwoo picked up her pace, and Heejin instantly caught on to redhead's plan and closely trailed behind her, steadily increasing her walking speed. The pretend couple didn't want to make it obvious, but Jinsoul and Jungeun giggled at their silly antics. 

The redhead slammed her cash in front of the cashier, startling the poor teen employee. "Four tickets to see Frozen 2 at the next showing!" The startled employee stared in concern at the huffing and puffing girl, but that didn't stop Jiwoo from cheekily grinning in her secret victory.

After finally catching up, Jinsoul cooed at the redhead's sweet gesture. "Aww, you're so sweet. You didn't have to do that." The blonde turned to her girlfriend, "Your friend is so sweet, Jungie."

Heejin clicked her tongue at her loss, but then a light bulb popped in her head. "While you get our tickets Chuu-baby, I'm going to get us some snacks." She quickly ran inside and even cut in front of another couple that wasn't paying attention.

After the three received their tickets, they followed inside and found Heejin masterfully carrying two large popcorns and drinks in her small arms. 

Jinsoul pouted at how adorable the small girl looked carrying the oversized snacks. She was flattered that the other couple was treating her and Jungeun so well, especially since the two didn't know the blonde very well.

"And here you go." Heejin handed over a drink and popcorn for Jinsoul and Jungeun to take. 

Jungeun took a sip from her soda and was pleasantly surprised. "How did you know what I like?"

Heejin chuckled, "Oh please, we have known each other for a year. I noticed that you always have a coke bottle on the side of your bag." She then turned her attention to her fake girlfriend. "And this is for you, sweetie. I got your favorite, of course."

The redhead did her best not to glare at Heejin for scoring points with Jungeun and took the drink. "Thanks, Heekki!" Heejin evilly smirked as Jiwoo sipped from her straw and almost gagged once the medicine tasting liquid hit her tongue, leaving an awful aftertaste.

Since the two baseball players spend a lot of time together at practice, they know what the other likes and dislikes were, and Heejin knew Jiwoo despised diet Dr. Pepper. 

Jiwoo did her best to keep a fake smile. _Oh? So that's how you want to play? Well, two can play at this game._

The four girls entered the designated theater, and they all shivered from the AC blasting frigid air. After they found their numbered seats, Jinsoul lifted the armrest that separated her seat from Jungeun's so they could cuddle together. The blonde was well prepared and brought out a blanket from her oversized purse, and the couple snuggled together in warmth.

The fake couple sat down and followed suit, lifting the armrest that separated them, but unlike Jinsoul, Heejin and Jiwoo weren't prepared for the unexpected indoor winter climate. 

But the situation was the perfect opportunity for Jiwoo to launch her revenge. "Hey babe, can I wear your jacket, I'm freezing." she exaggerated her shivering and laced her voice with sugary sweetness and puppy eyes, making sure Jungeun overheard them.

"Of course," Heejin complies to display that she is the best girlfriend ever, but now she was left as cold as an ice cube and spotted Jiwoo smirking. _That bitch._

Sure, the tactic was a bit of a double-edged sword, making Heejin look good in front of Jungeun again, but she got her mini revenge over the latter, and that's what mattered. Jiwoo relished in happiness under Heejin's lingering warmth in her jacket. There was a faint aroma of vanilla from what must have been Heejin's scent, making her question her giddiness over her revenge or if it was something else entirely.

The movie finally started after a half-hour of previews. _Just because the film was named Frozen, the theater didn't have to be frozen as well!_ Heejin cursed under her shivering breath that Jiwoo took her only source of warmth.

It was only a few minutes into the movie, and the redhead could feel the shorter girl's trembling body pressed up against her arm. She felt terrible that Heejin was the only one left out in the cold theater, no wait, this was her chance to make her look good. Yeah! Jiwoo proceeded to slip the oversized jacket off, scooting closer together while she did her best to cover their two bodies. 

There were no refutes, or complaints from the inviting warmth and Heejin instinctively placed her legs over Jiwoo's and embraced her so that it was easy to snuggle into her warm body. If Heejin weren't so concerned with her own racing heart, she would have noticed the rapid pace of Jiwoo's.

Jungeun noticed the movement of the couple next to them, and she pointed over for Jinsoul to see. They both smiled at the cuddling girls, and they followed suit and snuggled closer together.

Heejin happens to see Junguen kissing, and surprisingly, she didn't feel anything. Weren't you supposed to feel a mix of jealousy and anger or sadness if you saw your crush kissing someone else? It was especially weird because she's had a crush on the swimmer for a whole year. Then she thought, why did she like Jungeun? Yes, she is stunningly beautiful and athletic, but she didn't know much about the brunette.

Heejin turns her head to face Jiwoo, startling the redhead as she snapped her head in the opposite direction. Heejin could have sworn those dark brown eyes were gazing at her lips. Nah, she must have imagined it, and did it matter if she was? Her eyes flitted down at the strawberry plump lips of Jiwoo, then quickly looking away, hoping she didn't notice.

~ ~ ~

Jiwoo casually entered her room, which was a rare occasion, as she usually busts the door down with her return.

"So, how was your date with your archnemesis?" Chaewon voiced out from across the room.

"Who?"

The blonde irked her head to the side at her roommate's odd response. "Heejin...your sworn rival. The girl you have been arguing with since you've met. The reason you vent out to me every night."

It finally registered in Jiwoo's head. "Oh, right. Heekki- I mean Heejin."

Chaewon was surprised to hear a pet name for Heejin. But before she could interrogate more about Jiwoo's double date, she already escaped into the bathroom to shower.

~ ~ ~

The four girls continued to have double dates every weekend, whether they were lunch or dinner dates, sometimes even casual coffee shop dates, spending hours at the shop savoring their cafe drinks, and their time together. 

Jiwoo and Heejin quickly fell into the routine, and they grew even bolder to try to one-up their affection for the other, most of the time forgetting the main reason why they went out on dates. It eventually became second nature to them, giving each other small gifts, contemplating what to wear for their next date, tightly embracing one another. Even all the little things felt natural like holding hands at any given moment or warmly gazing into each other's eyes, sometimes even shifting their stare at the other's lips, but they pretend not to notice.

All these changes didn't pass Chaewon either. Jiwoo complained less and less about Heejin. In fact, she almost seemed giddy and happy every time she came home from one of their "dates."

It's been a couple of months since the two started their pretend relationship and Chaewon couldn't stifle her curiosity any longer. "Ok, it's time to be honest, Jiwoo."

Jiwoo hummed in response as she pondered what outfit to wear for her next double date. What was once a neat and a clean pile of clothing, was now a big mess on the floor while her bed was used to display the final three outfits she would choose to wear for the night.

"Do you have feelings for Heejin?" The small blonde asked.

Jiwoo furrowed her brows together, focusing more on her clothes over the question. "What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend you haven't noticed yourself lately. You haven't complained about Heejin at all; if anything, you seem happy whenever you talk about your double dates with her."

The redhead continued to ignore her roommate and asked her own question. "What do you think about this outfit?" She held up the sweater up to her torso and pants over her legs.

Chaewon rolled her eyes and groaned from the lack of answers she wanted to hear. "I'm serious, Jiwoo. Do you not feel anything for Heejin?"

"Chae, you realize we are only pretending to date to see who wins Jungeun over, right?" Jiwoo emphasized the word 'pretending.' "Since that's settled. Help me choose an outfit."

~ ~ ~

Jungeun's best friend, Haseul, invited her to a party, and Jungeun was in need to let loose from all the stressful college exams she recently had. 

Heejin and Jiwoo have never really been into parties. Heejin was more of a homebody and preferred to relax and sleep at home over getting drunk and going wild. Jiwoo seemed like the party type, but that was never the case for her. Something about the scene just never appealed to her.

Unlike the fake couple, Jungeun and Jinsoul enjoyed partying. Coincidentally, it was how they first met and shared a drunk kiss, and from that point on, their relationship blossomed to what it is now. 

But for Heejin and Jiwoo to impress Jungeun, they weren't willing to decline the invitation, and it couldn't hurt to party every once in a while, right?

Before heading out, Jungeun made sure everyone pregramed at her apartment to get everyone loosened up. The four girls each had a mixed drink and two shots of hard liquor. Not only was Heejin's tolerance for alcohol low, but she had an embarrassing amount of "Asian glow" from the few drinks they took, which the three other girls quickly noticed and teased the youngest. 

The alcohol was already starting to make the two non-party goers buzzed and even a bit tipsy, and the night was still young. 

Once they arrived at the house party, they were instantly greeted with drunk bodies stumbling into them and even a few close calls of spilled drinks. After safely making it to the kitchen, Jungeun started preparing drinks for them all and proceeded to have them all participate in drinking games. 

It wasn't much of a contest, as Jiwoo and Heejin were inexperienced with these types of games and lost every single time, making them drink even more. 

Jinsoul lost interest in drinking games after the nth win and dragged Jungeun over to the dance floor. Of course, Jungeun motioned for the other two to follow them and so they could all tipsily flail their bodies within the crowd. 

It didn't take long for the blonde and brunette to engage in a make-out session, isolating themselves in their own little world among the crowded dance floor, leaving Heejin and Jiwoo to their own devices. The music was blaring, even standing 20ft away from the speakers, the bass would still hit your chest hard. It was apparent, trying to have a conversation with one another was impossible, so the pretend couple went with the flow. 

Their worlds spun as the alcohol coursed through their veins. The music was nothing more than just incoherent noise in the background as they focused solely on each other. They weren't sure how much time had passed, minutes, an hour, or even hours? But their drunkenness was slightly better than earlier and they found themselves pressed up against each other, mindlessly grinding their bodies together. They both finally realized what they were doing, but neither wanted to stop. It wasn't until Jungeun tapped them both on the shoulders so they could take a break.

Leaving the crowd was easier than trying to force your way in as they quickly found a more secluded area to take a breather and to be able to hear something other than the hype hip-hop music. 

"We didn't think you two would be so into each other at this party!" Jungeun exclaimed with a slight slur. 

Heejin narrowed her eyes at the statement, "What do you mean?"

Jinsoul decided to jump into the conversation. Her already slow and slightly slurred speech was even slower and more slurred with the influence of alcohol. "You two seem like the sweetest and innocent couple we have ever seen! We were surprised to see you two grind up on each other since we haven't even seen you two kiss before." 

Heejin tries to make up an excuse, but Jiwoo pins her up against the wall and crashes her lips into Heejin's. There was so much bottled and pent up aggression between the two. It was like Jiwoo has been waiting to relieve this tension. Maybe all this time, it's been sexual tension because, like a taut rubber band releasing, their kiss was violent and sudden. Heejin got over the initial shock and refused to be overwhelmed by Jiwoo, so without hesitation, she kissed back. 

Their make-out session was rough and aggressive. Heejin hooked her fingers into the front of the older girl's jeans, making Jiwoo whimper as fingertips crept into her pants. The brunette yanked the redhead's body into her own as Heejin pressed her tongue against the taller's lips, wanting access to deepen their kiss. Jiwoo wrapped her arms around the shorter girl's neck, tangling and tousling with Heejin's silky dark hair. Heejin moaned into Jiwoo's mouth as she was finally granted access for their tongues to unite. The two girls were fighting for dominance over one another, tugging at each other's clothes and pulling themselves closer together. They were both so absorbed, completely neglecting their mutual crush standing in front of them.

Jinsoul and Jungeun both stood there with wide eyes and jaws lowered. They were not expecting this at all. The couple was usually shy and innocent, seemingly with too pure of a relationship that they didn't kiss in public. But the display before them was so hot, and even they were getting turned on by the sight.

Jungeun cleared her throat, only having to repeat the notion before the two separated from each other, realizing they were in public and the fact they just did that in front of Jungeun.

"My goodness, now we get why you guys don't kiss in public if this is what it leads to. Please, wait until you're home to fuck each other."

Heejin turned bright red at the mention of sex. _Sex, SEX?! With Jiwoo?!_ Yeah, never in a million years. She glances over to the redhead; she seemed unbothered by the brunette's comment. 

The atmosphere was awkward between them, and no one said a word to break the tension. Jungeun wanted to escape from the awkwardness and pulled Jinsoul away, creating an excuse about having to meet and find her best friend, Haseul.

Heejin's eyes wandered to anything and anywhere, but Jiwoo, coincidentally, she spots her friends. It was guaranteed they witnessed their hot make-out sesh by their dumbfounded looks. Her phone goes off a few times, and she whips out her phone, receiving texts from their group chat. Maybe it would help distract her from the uncomfortable air that lingered.

_Damn Heejin, that was hot as HELL!_

_What was that about Jiwoo not being your type?_

_Please! Master, show us your ways!_

The short girl huffed at her friend's messages. What did she expect, boys will be boys. Wanting to escape her friends' eyes, Heejin tugged Jiwoo away from the party and into an empty bathroom, making sure to lock the door.

"What the hell was that back there?" Heejin burst out, breaking the silence between them.

"I had to prove to Jungeun that I was a passionate girlfriend, and I seemed to recall; you were enjoying it."

Heejin shoves Jiwoo up against the sink. "Yah, the only passionate thing you showed was trying to shove your tongue down my throat!"

"Well you must have been desperate to get into my pants by the way you were yanking at my jeans, I swear you were going to tear them off!" Jiwoo's voice went higher as she got louder.

"No one wants to sleep with some girly-girl." 

"I could say the same about you with your tomboy ass."

They bumped heads together, basically headbutting one another—both refusing to flinch from the stinging pain on their pressed foreheads. The two girls glared at the other, similar to how MMA fighters are shown after trash-talking and threatening their opponent. 

But unlike the fighters you see on TV, they both leaned in, lips slamming into each other once more. It was a bit painful when their teeth hit each other from the forceful impact, but the pain quickly subsided from the pleasure of their tongues dancing in unison. Heejin lifts Jiwoo onto the counter as Jiwoo's legs wrap around HeeJin's waist.

Their kiss was rougher than the last, and it was desperate and sloppy as hot breaths exchanged through their mouths. Jiwoo slipped her hands under Heejin's shirt, forcing it to ride up because she was positioned higher on the countertop, exposing Heejin's bare-skinned torso and bra. For a moment, the redhead wished she wasn't wearing pants to feel the warmth of the other's skin directly. She enclosed her legs even tighter around the smaller girl, nails digging and clawing at her back.

It was as if Heejin knew what Jiwoo wanted. Her hands wandered along the hems of Jiwoo's jeans, slipping her fingertips inside, sinking her nails into the soft skin. But Heejin couldn't get enough of Jiwoo, and she wanted more. Her fingers remained in between her skin and denim as it snaked towards the front of Jiwoo's jeans, unbuttoning them. Heejin paused for a second, making sure the latter gave her consent. Jiwoo bit her bottom lip, hard, almost hard enough to break the skin. It was as if Jiwoo was punishing Heejin for stopping. The younger girl received the message and continued unzipping the unwanted clothing in between them.

Heejin kisses along Jiwoo's jawline, making her way towards her neck. Jiwoo bites her lip, attempting her best to stifle her moans as Heejin begins to leave her mark with wet kisses and some rough biting. The older girl had enough with the teasing, she repositions herself and grasped Heejin's hand, guiding it down into her jeans-

~~Unfortunately~~ They both jerk away as their steamy session was interrupted for the second time that night by a series of knocks on the door. The muffled voice pleaded to be let in, as the poor soul behind the door was about to pee her pants.

The two, step out the bathroom, their hair a mess, clothes wrinkled and ruffled, the mark on the older girl's neck became more vibrant with each passing second, and lipstick smeared messily over their lips. The cute purple-haired girl gasped with glowing red ears, realizing what the two girls must have been doing in the restroom together. She quickly ran inside to hide her crimson face and to relieve the pressure in her bladder finally.

"I see you guys continued in the bathroom. You might want to fix yourselves up a bit. "Jungeun motions wiping her lips while Jinsoul gestures with her eyes at Jiwoo's pants, still undone by Heejin. 

The redhead blushed and quickly fixed her jeans. "I-It's not what you think." Jiwoo pleaded at the couple.

Jinsoul and Jungeun both eye the two. "Mhmm, I'm not sure you two left much for the imagination."

The four decided to call it a night, and Jungeun offered her place for everyone to stay, as it was a short walk back from the party.

~ ~ ~

The brunette unlocked the door and instantly laid out some ground rules. "Please, all I ask is that you don't have sex on my couch! I don't want to see any gross stains in the morning, nor do we want to be kept up all night. I don't know how loud you guys get, but watching how you guys eat each other's faces off, I'm willing to bet you both constantly wake up your neighbors."

The blonde pondered with a serious expression as if this decision was a matter of life or death. "Well, if they go at it, we can too. You're pretty loud, Jungie, so I'm sure we won't hear them."

"Soul!" Jungeun screamed, smacking her girlfriend's arm.

Jinsoul widely grinned. "See, that's similar to how you sound in bed!" 

The brunette has never been so embarrassed. Jungeun so badly wanted to refute those words but figured she would only worsen her embarrassment, so she resorted to trying to cover her blushing face with her hands. The three laughs at how tomato red Jungeun's face and ears burned, and Jinsoul cooed at her blushing girlfriend.

Jungeun somehow manages to recover and shows the other couple their sleeping area. "I'm sorry the couch is so small, it's not made for sleeping." She scratches her head, realizing she's never really had guests stay over other than her girlfriend, but they always share her bed.

Small was an understatement. The couch was too narrow, and it looked like it was barely comfortable enough for one person to sleep on it. 

Jiwoo waved her hands, "Oh, don't worry about it, Jungeun! We'll make it work!"

The brunette nodded, yawning as she led Jinsoul into her bedroom. It was way past her usual bedtime. "Goodnight guys, tonight was really fun!"

Jiwoo leaped into the couch, spreading her arms out wide, gesturing to Heejin to join her. 

"You know we don't need to sleep together," the younger girl declined the offer.

The redhead argued. "What if one of them sees us the next morning with me on the couch and you on the floor? They will be suspicious if we aren't sleeping together."

Heejin scoffed, "Why is it determined I would be on the floor?"

"Because I'm already on the couch. Now shut up and just join me, it would be weird if you aren't with me because we are supposed to be dating."

"But, we are not dating." The younger girl rolled her eyes

Jiwoo put up a finger against her pressed lips. "Shhhh."

Heejin sighed and joined the older girl on the couch, her back facing the latter. The apartment was a bit cold, and the thin blanket they were given did little to retain their body heat. Maybe they should have asked to turn the heater on for the night. Her breath hitched when she suddenly felt arms wrap around her while Jiwoo's hands sneaked into her shirt, tracing the centerline of her abs. 

They remained like that in silence, and at some point, Heejin swore Jiwoo was randomly drawing shapes into her exposed skin. At one point, Heejin swore she felt hearts drawn with Jiwoo's fingertips, or maybe she was just making random swirls, and Heejin's imagination was overthinking it. Regardless, it made it increasingly more challenging to ignore Jiwoo's presence. 

"You must really like my abs since you keep staring and wanting to touch them." Heejin thought out loud.

Jiwoo mumbled as she started to drift to sleep. "I may not like you, but your tummy is really sexy, and you're really warm..."

Heejin hums in response. For some reason, she felt her heartache at Jiwoo's words. She just hoped Jiwoo didn't feel her heart trying to escape from her chest. Sure they kissed, but it didn't mean anything. Right? 

Those few words continuously repeated in Heejin's head _"I may not like you"_ and how Jiwoo's actions didn't match those same words spoken just a few moments ago. _How could someone say they don't like you when they embrace you as if you were the most important thing to them?_

It was impossible to sleep. Heejin's mind flooded with an infinite amount of questions. What if they hadn't been interrupted in the bathroom? Would they have gone all the way? Would that change their relationship? Is their relationship different now since they kissed? What are my feelings for her? Did our kisses mean anything to her? Mean anything to me? 

No matter how hard she tried to shut her thoughts down, she could only think of the girl sleeping with her. Her mind was all Jiwoo, and it didn't help that she could feel her soft warm breaths grazing the nape of her neck. Jiwoo's sleeping body subconsciously pulled Heejin closer. They were already so close that even air couldn't get in between them. The redhead's face snuggles into the back HeeJin's neck, making the shorter girl tense up from the repeated ghosting of Jiwoo's lips against her skin. 

The room was almost too quiet, making Heejin's sense of hearing more sensitive to Jiwoo's slow and warm breaths, they came and went at a steady slow pace. The older girl's chest pressed a bit more against Heejin's backside with every breath she took. Her lips felt like they were leaving soft pecks on her neck, the slight contact sent shivers down Heejin's spine. At this point, Heejin knew she was in deep. She had somehow fallen for Jiwoo, her rival, her frenemy, the girl she supposedly hated. In an attempt to sleep, Heejin placed her hands over Jiwoo's, allowing herself to indulge in the moment and closed her eyes.

~ ~ ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, it's been a while since I last updated. This is probably the closest I will write to smut, so yeah. Not exactly comfortable writing that kind of stuff. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I hope there weren't too many mistakes, I didn't proofread as much as I usually do. 


	5. Home Plate

The warmth of the sun crept onto the faces of the sleeping couple, slightly stirring the two as the morning light hit their closed eyelids. Jinsoul tugged Jungeun closer to her, embracing her a bit tighter. The blonde has always been clinging and even more so first thing in the morning. 

Jungeun groaned out. Her morning voice was hoarse and rough, regardless, Jinsoul loved hearing the brunette as the first sound to start her day off. "Soul, it's hot." The younger girl complained.

The blonde pouted as she snuggled her face into Jungeun's hair using her 'baby' voice. "But, I want to cuddle."

It was useless to try to refuse the blonde's wants and demands as Jungeun would always give in to her, and Jinsoul knowingly took advantage of every moment she could seize. Thankfully it was the weekend, and no one needed to worry about attending classes, so it was easy for Jungeun to laze in the locked embrace of her girlfriend.

After a few moments, a stomach growl broke the comfortable silence, and again, the same baby voice the blonde used previously complained. "I'm hungwryy."

"Ok you big baby, I'll make breakfast." As Jungeun started to roll out of bed, a tightened tug prevented her from moving.

"But it's cuddle time." The blonde pouted again.

The brunette let out a soft chuckle at her absurd girlfriend. "Well, which is it then?"

Jinsoul didn't take long to ponder, "I want to stay in bed." but her body betrayed her words as another loud rumble escaped from her stomach. 

Jungeun laughed and slipped from Jinsoul's arms. "Come on. You need food, and you can help me."

The older girl reluctantly let herself be pulled by the younger girl, the loss of warmth sending her a sudden chill to shake her sleepiness. She moved slowly and sluggish, as Jungeun had already walked into her bathroom to brush her teeth.

Despite being slower, Jinsoul managed to finish before Jungeun, as the younger girl was fighting her lion mane bed head to cooperate with her. "Do you think our plan worked?" The blonde asked as she watched her girlfriend struggle combing her tangled hair. 

"I hope so, and I think it did." The younger girl grunted out as she finally got the last stubborn tangle out of her hair. 

Jinsoul excitedly left the bedroom, ready to eat and satisfy her hunger. Jungeun followed behind, shaking her head in slight disbelief that just moments ago, how sleepy and lazy the older girl was earlier, and now she was bouncing off the walls with excitement to start the day.

As soon as she caught up, the blonde waved towards her to come over and motioned to stay quiet. Jinsoul pointed towards the sleeping couple on the couch, "Jungieeee, can we keep them? They are adorable!"

"They really are cute when they aren't sucking each other's faces." Jungeun nodded in agreement, Heejin and Jiwoo were adorable together. 

The sleeping couple was wrapped tightly together, their legs intertwined, Jiwoo's arms embracing the brunette's small frame while Heejin's tiny hands rested over the redhead's hands.

Jinsoul disturbs the serene moment by taking photos of the two sleeping. The synthesized shutter clicks stir the sleeping couple up.

Heejin opened her eyes by the beaming smile of Jinsoul holding her phone, and she was a bit shocked to find the blonde blatantly snapping photos without shame. "Yah!"

Jiwoo fluttered her eyes open, gripping a bit tighter around Heejin, "Babe, you're too loud." the redhead softly whined.

The younger girl's face heated up, she felt embarrassed that Jungeun and Jinsoul were witnessing the intimate position she was in. "It's rude to take photos of a person sleeping, Jinsoul!"

"Send them to me!" Jiwoo announced as she grew more aware of what was happening. 

The blonde nodded happily, deciding to move into the kitchen to help Jungeun.

As soon as the other couple was distracted, Heejin tried to escape Jiwoo's embrace, only to stumble onto the floor as Jiwoo did her best to keep her planted. The brunette turned and glared at Jiwoo, and the latter shrugged innocently.

"Why do you want those photos?!" Heejin whisper-yelled, making sure the other's couldn't hear her, yet wanting to sound demanding. They weren't dating, and it's not like they posted on their social media of each other, especially not sleeping together. _Oh god, is Jiwoo going to post them?!_

Jiwoo pouted as if she was being scolded, "I bet they will be cute."

Heejin scoffed in response. "They need to be deleted!"

The older girl turned to look away, faking being upset. 

Before Heejin could make her case about deleting any evidence of their fake relationship, more so that Heejin didn't want to cry over what could have been. Jungeun called out to them. "Come on, girls! Breakfast is ready!"

~ ~ ~

"Good job, everyone!" The coach bellowed, applauding his team's hard work after another exhausting practice. 

The team weakly responded with a "hoo-rah" as they all made their way to the locker rooms, escaping the beating rays of the sun. 

The two sole girls of the baseball team entered the locker room together. They weren't sure when they stopped avoiding each other when they changed, but it was routine now. Just as routine as their fake relationship and dates. They were more comfortable with one another, used to each other's company and presence. Even their teammates noticed but feared if they said anything they would shatter whatever replaced the bad vibes between them would only return. 

Jiwoo was content with the relationship with Heejin, as they were finally improving. It only took long to do so, but better late than never she supposed. Though she wasn't too happy that Heejin was avoiding her a bit ever since the party, they went to last weekend. It wasn't in-your-face obvious, but it was there. They were subtle actions, like how Heejin would slightly avert her eyes to avoid direct eye contact whenever they spoke. The usual confidence in the younger girl seemed to falter bit by bit. Whenever Jiwoo would close the distance between, she could see Heejin tense up slightly, her shoulders squaring up, her posture straightening out a bit as if her body was rigid from her normal graceful movements. 

The older baseball player was scared that because they kissed and were incredibly intimate, their improving friendship would slowly crumble. It's not like it meant anything to Heejin, right? They had no strings attached, and they knew their original purpose to be 'together.' Though, she wouldn't mind if the younger girl decided to- Jiwoo shook her head, her mind was wandering again.

After shaking herself from her reverie, she realized the somewhat awkward atmosphere that brewed between them. This wasn't the usual comfortable silence she had grown acquainted with whenever they were alone together. It felt as if the younger girl was dreading in her thoughts. She was doing it again, the subtle notions of avoidance that Jiwoo quickly caught onto and disliked. 

Wanting to break this aura around them, hoping she could somehow comfort her younger teammate, Jiwoo began suddenly. "So, are you looking forward to our next double date?"

Heejin almost choked, startled by the declaration. She cleared her throat to compose herself. "O-Oh, yeah. I guess." She cursed herself in her head from her voice cracking.

Jiwoo carefully observed the younger girl. It seemed like Heejin was avoiding her more, instead of the slight avoidance in her eyes, her head was completely turned away, making it hard to read the brunette's face. The redhead decided to continue. Maybe sounding more positive and bright about their next date will make her cheer up. "Well, I am looking forward to it. I promise we will have so much fun!"

The younger girl turned her body away from the latter. Making it so that Jiwoo couldn't see the fluster and frustration in her face. "I-I can't do this anymore."

"What do you mean?" Jiwoo's smile instantly turned into a frown at the statement, knowing their conversation was turning south.

"This fake dating, the lying." Refusing to look at the redhead, Heejin faced the lockers before her, her eyes casted down at her feet. "I can't do it anymore, Jiwoo."

Jiwoo didn't want to sound desperate, but she couldn't restrain herself and outbursted immediately after Heejin declared throwing in the towel. "You can't just quit."

Turning to face Jiwoo, Heejin wanted to make herself clear. Her decision was final. "I am telling you right now that I am Jiwoo."

She wasn't sure why but hearing Heejin wanting to quit disappointed Jiwoo. "And all this time I thought you weren't a quitter." It was one of Heejin's strong points and Jiwoo observed how hardworking Heejin was. The older baseball player knew how much extra time the younger girl would put in, practising for hours on her own. That no matter what her shortcomings were, Heejin accepted it and would find ways or at least make attempts to better herself. Even if the progress was slow and tedious, Heejin would never let up once her mind was set on a goal. It was truly admiring, even Jiwoo grew a bit jealous of how determined and dedicated the younger player could be towards obtaining her goals. But that wasn't the real reason she was disappointed. She has grown accustomed to their weekly dates. They had become closer, and being with Heejin was so much fun, more than she could have imagined. Most of the time, she would forget they were on a double date and would only have eyes for Heejin.

Jiwoo needed to convince Heejin otherwise, and maybe she could set a goal for the younger girl. "But we don't know who is the better girlfriend."

"Again, your plan is dumb since the beginning. And who is even judging this pretend competition?" The brunette huffed out in frustration.

"Jungeun, duh!" Jiwoo ignored the insult. 

Heejin shook her head at how difficult the redhead was making this. "She doesn't even know we are competing. She honestly thinks we have an authentic relationship."

"Then, we just have to keep going on dates together," Jiwoo stated as if there was nothing wrong with what they were doing. 

"I'm sorry, but I can't stand any more of this." The younger girl begins to pack her stuff so she could leave. 

The redhead smirks, trying to help surface the competitiveness out from Heejin. "So that means I win."

"Win what? You don't win anything." Heejin pauses, crossing her arms to look at Jiwoo dead in the eye. 

"It means I'm a better girlfriend." Jiwoo nodded to herself, still trying to provoke Heejin. 

The brunette let out a heavy sigh, "In case you have forgotten, the point of your plan is to win Jungeun over. So what. Now that you 'win,' Jungeun is supposed to come crawling to you? Face the facts Jiwoo! You won't win her over. She's with Jinsoul, and you aren't going to change that. It's obvious that they love each other at this point. You are wasting your time."

Jiwoo shrugs in response, "Then I can just say we broke up and still try to win her over."

Heejin's eyes started to gloss over, tears threatening to break her composed mask. She knew she shouldn't be this emotional. It's not like they were in a real relationship and the break up was fake, but that's not how it felt. It was a terrible feeling being rejected before she was even at the starting line. Now that Heejin realized her newfound feelings, it became painful that Jiwoo wanted someone else. Heejin was done hearing this nonsense, "Stop, this conversation is over."

"What do you mean?" Jiwoo was perplexed at the younger girl's reaction. "You don't want to talk about the girl we are crushing on?"

"I don't- just stop talking about her." Heejin started yelling to hide the despair in her voice. 

Jiwoo was taken aback from the outburst from the smaller girl and raised the volume of her voice. "Why? We are both interested in her. For crying out loud, we are fake dating so we can get closer to her."

"Jiwoo, I don't think you even thoroughly thought out your plan. It doesn't even make sense; us pretending to date will never work!" Heejin desperately tried to convince Jiwoo that they were foolish even to start this whole charade.

The redhead was irritated that Heejin was starting to blow upon her. "Then why did you agree to it? Why did you even stick around this long?"

The brunette raised her voice at Jiwoo. "You started it. I didn't ask to become a part of this!" 

"If you didn't want to do this, you could have left at any point! You could have easily told Jungeun we weren't dating." Jiwoo didn't understand why Heejin was suddenly so worked up about their situation; everything was perfectly fine. "So again, why did you go on all those dates? Why do you still pretend to date me?!"

"Because I like you! I like you, Jiwoo!" Heejin clasped her mouth, eyes widened. Her hidden feelings and affection had slipped out.

Heejin was planning to confess at some point, but not like this. She already knew what Jiwoo's answer would be, but she had hoped that maybe, just maybe, there would be a sparkle or hint of brightness in Jiwoo's eyes. But lack of those features crumbled Heejin's hope. Why would Jiwoo ever look at Heejin like that?

All Heejin could find was the mixed expression in Jiwoo's face of bewilderment and anger? She wasn't sure, but she has never seen the redhead's face furrowed so tightly before. It was like she was trying to voice out, _'What in the actual fuck?'_

_Of course, Jiwoo wouldn't like her back. Why would she? Heejin has only been a bitch to her since the beginning, and she's regretted being hostile to her since._

"I-I- Forget I said anything." Heejin throws the rest of her belongings into her bag and scurries away before Jiwoo could recover from the sudden confession, leaving the redhead alone in a stupor.

Jiwoo was left still stunned, motionless. It's ok. She will see her at practice tomorrow, allowing her time to think about it. She made her way back to her dorm, Heejin's words replaying in her head the entire duration of her walk.

Chaewon chuckled and laughed as she gamed with her girlfriend online. It took almost an hour for her to realize her roommate was back. It was rather odd the blonde didn't hear Jiwoo go into her ritual outbursts. She knew something was wrong, but Jiwoo was the type to spill everything when she was ready. The blonde would patiently wait for her roommate to spill the details later.

~ ~ ~

Jiwoo still wasn't sure how to respond to Heejin. She agonized over her thoughts all of last night, unable to get a successful wink of sleep. Was she supposed to take Heejin's confession seriously? Did she always have those feelings for the redhead? Did Jiwoo carry those same feelings too?

Before she knew it, the day went by in a blur, and the ace pitcher found herself at baseball practice. It was the usual scene, another day, or perhaps not. Heejin was missing. Was she late? She never arrived late. She usually would be the first to arrive, sometimes coming from her own private training.

Before the coach could say anything at the start of practice, Jiwoo questioned him. "Coach, where's Heejin?"

"Ah, her brother called me saying she wasn't feeling well today." The middle-aged man simply stated. "Now hurry along and join the rest of the members for warm-up."

Without another word, the redhead jogged onto the field, but the whole thing felt off. Heejin _never_ skipped practice, even if she was sick, even sick enough to barely function. If anything, the coach would be yelling at her to go home and force her to rest instead. Maybe Heejin finally got the message not to come to practice when she was ill. Yeah, that had to be it, Jiwoo would continue to reassure herself the rest of the day. 

Once again, Chaewon found herself with another peaceful night. The unusual silent redhead of a roommate didn't utter a word. The blonde would glance over to check every once in a while, noticing Jiwoo longing looking at her phone, as if she was waiting to hear back from a certain someone.

~ ~ ~

Releasing a sigh, something Jiwoo had caught herself doing a lot as of late. There was still no word from Heejin. The older girl sent out multiple texts if she was ok. Even calling her a few times and leaving a voicemail if she should come over and check up on her.

Jiwoo didn't want to say all she did was grow concerned and worry over Heejin. But the younger girl was the only thing on the redhead's mind the past two days. She was starting to get anxious that they were already beginning to drift apart. Sure, it's not like they were constantly texting each other. Still, Heejin would always respond promptly, and you could even say Jiwoo unknowingly smiled upon hearing the unique ringtone chime, letting her know that Heejin texted or called her before she even checked her screen.

Her nerves didn't calm any less as Heejin was missing from practice again. This was so unlike her and unheard of. She loved baseball, even more than the team's best pitcher. In order for the younger pitcher to miss more than two days of practice was like signs the world was ending. Again she asked her coach about the other girl's whereabouts, only to receive the same answer as yesterday. 

Concentration and focus went out the door for Jiwoo as she continued training for the day. She just wanted it to end, and to know what was wrong with Heejin. The brunette has implanted in her mind even the rest of the team was growing concerned over Jiwoo. Her pitches were all over the place. The ball would slip from her glove and hit the ground from what should be simple catches. It wasn't until she pegged a walking student in the back from an utterly offhand throw that the coach told her to leave practice early. He figured the female members were having woman issues. He never had to deal with it before, and he sure as hell didn't want to get involved now. 

As soon as the pitcher ran off the field and changed, she decided to call Jungeun. Only a few seconds passed, and the other girl answered, Jiwoo jumped the gun. "Hey Jungeun, have you seen or heard from Heejin recently?"

Without a second of hesitation, the brunette responded. "No, is something wrong?" Her voice was laced with a hint of worry.

"She hasn't been answering my texts or calls. I was hoping that she contacted you." Jiwoo voiced her concern.

"Aww, are you guys fighting?" Jungeun chided.

The redhead responded, "Uhm, something like that."

"Well, I haven't seen her, but I hope you two work it out. _You guys are really cute together_. I'll let you know if I hear from her. We are still on for our double date, though?"

With an automatic response, "Yes. See you then." Jiwoo hangs up with Jungeun's words echoing in her head. Heejin had to go on that date with her, Jiwoo was determined to fix whatever happened between them tonight, even if she had to force her way into Heejin's room.

Jiwoo made her way back to her apartment to drop her baseball bag off and to take a quick shower. She needed advice from her roommate. Who had been neglected and has been in the dark about the current situation thus far.

After her quick shower, Jiwoo went straight to the point, startling the blonde from her concentration. "Chae, I think I screwed up."

Chaewon wasn't expecting the sudden conversation, but it was about time Jiwoo was filling her in on what had been going on. "What did you do now?"

"Well, Heejin is avoiding me-" The older girl started. 

Chaewon interrupted. "Don't you two always avoid each other? What else is new?"

Jiwoo fiddled with her hair and began explaining. "Ok. Well, during our last double date, you know, the party we went to." Chaewon nodded in response. "Well, we kissed, and I mean we _kissed_ like it was really hot Chae. We got so heated and were caught up in the moment we almost banged in the bathroom. Anyways, I'm getting sidetracked-"

A thud landed at the foot of Chaewon's bed. She dropped her Switch on the ground with her jaw following. "Excuse me?! You did what!? And you almost did what?!" She couldn't believe Jiwoo had kept this from her. She was expecting them to catch some kind of feelings, presumably just a tiny crush, but not to go this far yet. 

Quick to ignore the surprised blonde, Jiwoo continued. "I'll admit, I've always been attracted to her, and we had so much tension between us, and I guess all the emotions we built up just slammed into us like a freight train."

Chaewon was left in disbelief. I guess that answers her questions she was seeking a few days ago.

"And she confessed to me, Chae." As if Jiwoo hadn't dropped the bomb already on Chaewon, another followed right after. 

Ok, scratch the earlier thought, THIS is what has been on her mind.

It took a few moments for the blonde to collect her thoughts until she could speak. "So, what did you say?"

"U-Uhm, I didn't say anything." She looked towards her feet, feeling ashamed like she was a child caught doing something wrong.

"How could you say nothing? She probably thinks you don't like her in that way." Before her roommate could answer, a more important question popped up in the blonde's head. "Wait. Do you?"

The smooth brow turned into a crease as Jiwoo profoundly thought about it. This all started because they were pursuing Jungeun...but what exactly did Jiwoo like about the swimmer? Sure she was attracted to her, but she didn't know her that well. At least not as well as she knew Heejin. 

Before the fake dating, they had learned so much about each other from the time they spent at baseball practices. Most would think that you couldn't get to know someone without speaking more than a few words each day, but sometimes actions speak louder than words. Just by mere observation, you could be familiar with a stranger if you watched them carefully enough. 

Jiwoo knew Heejin's favorite color, surprisingly, a bright pink, which contrasted the girl's tomboyish image. Heejin's favorite plush, Stitch, was from her favorite movie. She knew of Heejin's favorite weeb anime, as the redhead had heard the opening of Naruto at least a thousand times from the brunette's ringing phone. Heejin had an odd fear for pigeons, which Jiwoo used to tease the hell out of her until the redhead caught her crying by herself. Now, Jiwoo would scare and chase off any birds that landed near the field. Heejin did her best to set a front of confidence, but in fact, she was insecure. She felt that she wasn't good enough and always strived to be better.

The more the redhead thought about it, the more details of Heejin flooded her mind. She let out a soft gasp with widened eyes. "I need to see her." Speaking out, mainly to herself.

Jiwoo ran out of their shared room, dropping the conversation between her roommate. 

The blonde yelled out, "Goodluck!" Then continued on with gaming with Hyejoo. "You owe me 20,000 won."

~ ~ ~

Breathing out a sigh, Jungkook gently closes Heejin's door. It took a while for his sister to tell him what was going on with her finally. At first, she was adamant about being fine, a blatant lie to the tears she spilled. Eventually, Heejin warmed up to her older brother and wasn't expecting that her teammate had rejected his little sister. And he swears if he sees Jiwoo, then he would give her a piece of his mind- 

His train of thought came to a halt at the panting redhead catching her breath, the same redhead that made his sister cry. Jungkook shook his head in fury, "Oh, hell no, you aren't getting anywhere near my little sister."

Jiwoo pleaded, "Please, I need to talk to her-"

Before she could finish making her plea, it was automatically shut down. "No! I have never seen my sister this devastated to the point that she doesn't even want to play baseball."

Suddenly the door swings open, a soft, deep voice spoke out, "Jung, can you be quiet, I'm-"

With the door open wide, Heejin notices Jiwoo and immediately tries to shut the door. Thanks to the redhead's lightning speed reactions and agility, she managed to slip through Jungkook and the door, almost getting her foot amputated in the process, as the door slammed right behind her. 

It took a moment for the brother to realize Jiwoo was gone and somehow juked him and slipped past him. He immediately started knocking on the door, "Heej, are you ok?" Jungkook's voice was muffled behind the closed door.

"Yeah. I'll handle this." Heejin called out, then turned to face Jiwoo. 

They remain frozen in the middle of the entrance, only silence in the air sits between them. The smaller girl was devoid of any emotion, making Jiwoo approach the smaller girl tentatively. She wants to ask how she is doing but immediately thumps her head. It's obvious Heejin was doing great. NOT! It was apparent she was miserable, the evidence is in front of her face. Heejin hasn't left her room the past two days, and her puffy red eyes could be seen behind her round lenses. _Which by the way, Jiwoo has never seen Heejin in glasses before, and she needs to tell her to wear them more often because she looks fucking adorable, but now is not the right time._

Heejin broke under pressure. Wanting this to be over already, she rasped out a sigh. "Can you just get it over with and quickly reject me so I can move on."

"I-I…" Jiwoo couldn't make out the words she practiced in her head as she ran to get here. Instead, she decided to show the younger girl overusing her jumbled words. She rushes to Heejin, gently cupping her soft cheeks and practically lunges into a kiss. Heejin's eyes went wide, startled and stunned, but quickly melted into her body.

This kiss was polar opposites from their previous ones. Instead of the needy and rough kiss, they shared before. This was slow and gentle, as if they spoke through the dance of their lips, releasing their feelings and desire. The heated contact exposed the redhead's emotion as she wrapped her arms around Heejin's waist. The brunette responded by circling her arms over the redhead's neck, pulling her closer to deepen their kiss. Jiwoo put her all into this single kiss, hoping it would be good enough to answer Heejin. But they didn't stop, more like they couldn't. The intimate interaction brought out short and soft kisses after their initial kiss, and only led the desire for more.

Lips connected again, leading into a long kiss. This was more fervent, hands clutching tighter at their loose garments, fingers raking in hair. Jiwoo gently guides Heejin to her bed, pushing her slowly into the mattress as she climbs over her. They share passionate slow kisses, wanting to feel and taste every bit of each fleeting contact. 

They eventually found themselves under the covers, slipping out of the clothing that kept them warm and opted to use each other's body heat instead. Every touch burned into their skin. Every spot their lips made contact left colorful marks over their porcelain skin. Hands ventured and explored every inch and every crevice of each other's bodies, willing to please.

At first, they attempted to stifle their hot breaths that sent shivers down their spines, but not long after, they didn't want to restrict the volume of the pleasure released from their mouths. The neighbors will just have to deal with the noise. Each time they rode out their highs, their next climax was exponentially better as they grew familiar with each other's bodies. At last, they were able to indulge in the lustful bliss they have been seeking without any interruptions.

They weren't sure how much time had passed, but when Jiwoo had first arrived, there was still light out, which was currently absent as the sun had set behind the horizon, and the moon was hung high in the night sky. Resting on their sides, they lay face to face, their arms loosely wrapped around each other's bare bodies. They found comfort in the body heat they shared under the covers. Their panting breaths remained hot and needy, but both had exhausted themselves. So they lay in comfortable silence, snuggling closer as their legs intertwined.

Jiwoo decided to break the still air. "Did that answer your question?"

Heejin let out a nervous laugh, gazing deep into the dark caramel orbs. "No, not really. I hope this won't be a one-time thing."

The older girl cast a smirk across her lips, "Absolutely not." The redhead implying, she wanted to share many moments just like this. "It finally came to me a couple of days ago that I don't like Jungeun."

The younger girl nodded, confirming that's how she felt too, but she came to the realization a bit earlier than the latter.

"When I thought about it, sure, I was attracted to her. But nothing stood out to me on why I wanted to be with her. Especially when there is a whole you around, even before all this, I knew more about you than I imagined."

Heejin playfully hit Jiwoo's shoulder. "Oh, stop." But she knew precisely what Jiwoo was talking about. She had the same feeling about the older pitcher too.

Continuing with her explanation, Jiwoo gently ran her fingers through the dark chocolate tresses. "I have always watched over you and admired you. Always thought you were gorgeous. Even a bit jealous-"

"Jealous? That was me." The younger baseball player interjected. "I've always wanted your talent. Your confidence in the field-"

This time the redhead interrupted. "And I wanted your dedication and determination."

Gripping tighter around Jiwoo's waist, staring deeper into her eyes, Heejin softly breathed out. "Well, maybe I just wanted you."

A rush of red spread through Jiwoo's face, along with the broadest beaming smile. "Well, you can have all of me."

They took a moment to lay in peace, cherishing their intimate embrace as their breathing normalized, finally recovering from their passionate lovemaking.

Again, Jiwoo broke their silence. "Why did you hate me the first time we met?"

Heejin laughed, more like she laughed at how foolish her past self was. "To be honest. I was scared of you. I was so used to being the sole female baseball player, trying to prove to others that I wasn't weak, I felt somewhat threatened by you. Especially once I learned, you were the team's ace pitcher." She slipped a sigh out as she continued. "Regretting our first encounter. I tried being nice the next day, but you called me out for being fake. From then on, I could only pretend to hate you, right?"

Jiwoo chuckled upon hearing the brunette's story. "What's so funny?" Heejin pouted. 

"Nothing, it's we were both idiots. But it doesn't matter. We are together now." Jiwoo hugged Heejin closer, allowing her to nuzzle into the crook of her neck.

After their embrace, Jiwoo gently nudged Heejin to part themselves so she could look into her eyes. "Heejin, I know we have been doing everything in the wrong order. But will you be my girlfriend? My real girlfriend?"

Jiwoo swore she saw the sun in the dim room. She swore she has never seen a smile so bright and full, Heejin's crescent eyes crinkling in the corners. "Yes, absolutely yes."

~ ~ ~

"Do we really need to do this?" Heejin softly whined. 

Jiwoo nodded; there was no backing out. They planned on revealing to Jungeun and Jinsoul that their relationship _was_ fake for the sake of competing for Jungeun. 

Heejin stubbornly tried to convince her girlfriend otherwise. "They already think we are in a real relationship, so no harm done."

"Do I need to remind you this was your idea." Jiwoo scolded. 

"But-"

"Shh, they are here." The redhead enthusiastically waved at the approaching couple. "Good afternoon, glad you two could finally make it!"

Jungeun ran her hand through her hair, pulling it back from her face. "Sorry we are a bit late, Jinsoul somehow lost the keys in the fridge." 

"I swear, I don't know how it made its way inside the ice cream tub!" Jinsoul pouted.

All three girls laughed while the blonde's pout deepened. "Changing the subject. How are you guys? Jungie told me you two got in a pretty bad fight."

The redhead started, "Ah, yeah, about that. We have something to tell you." Jungeun raised her eyebrows, Jiwoo continued, "When you first asked us to join you guys on a double date, we were pretending to date."

Jungeun quickly responded. "Yeah, I know."

"And the reason-" Jiwoo didn't notice the response, but Heejin did and interrupted. "Wait, you knew?!"

"Well, the whole school knew you two were rivals. I mean, it's pretty obvious." She laughed. "If you two were dating, the whole school would have known for sure."

Heejin's face grew red and dramatically fell over the cafe table, her voice bouncing off the hard surface. "I told you that your plan was stupid, Jiwoo."

The blonde laughed at the other two's predicament. "We asked you out on that double date because we were trying to get you two together. We just lucked out you both took the bait, or at least Jiwoo did."

Now Jiwoo and Heejin were both surprised. "What?!"

"Yeah, Jungie told me she was tired of these two baseball players flirting with her all the time and also tired of getting caught in between you two's sexual tension," Jinsoul explained.

Heejin furrowed her brows together, were they that obvious? Did other's take notice too?

Jungeun smirked at their puzzled looks, "So you never answered the question earlier. Did you two work it out with each other?"

Heejin and Jiwoo faced each other, then at the other couple, eagerly awaiting their answer. "We are officially together now. I guess we have you two to thank for that." Jiwoo turned to give a quick kiss on Heejin's cheek. 

Jinsoul and Jungeun high-fived each other; their plan was a success. "Now, let's start our real first double date." Jungeun raised her coffee, the others followed suit and joined in on the toast. 

~ _FIN_ ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end :) I hope you all enjoyed the story!


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